by <unknown>
Although Liao Fei did have a certain degree of loyalty to the Imperium of True Human Beings, the loyalty definitely did not spread to the Land of Sins.
"What is Slaughter Moment?" Li Yao asked again.
This time, Liao Fei, who had made up his mind, replied dutifully. "'Slaughter Moment' is a large interactive war game. It is one of the most popular live streams in the entire Imperium, with a record of three hundred billion viewers watching online at the same time. The total viewership including those who watch the recordings and the short videos exceeds one trillion! Well… do you follow me?"
"Just go on," Li Yao said without giving any comment. "What are you supposed to do on this planet?"
"Since the name of the show is 'Slaughter Moment', we are here to kill people, of course," Liao Fei said. "I have taken part in a special contest with a hundred and twenty participants in total. We will compete with each other on the total kills in one month. Whoever kills the most people will be the final winner. The audience all over the Imperium can enjoy our killing performance through our crystal cameras and the invisible lenses we wear on our eyeballs. That's basically everything."
Trying to sound nonchalant, Li Yao said, "Therefore, the planet is a paradise for your killing game, the sinners in the Land of Sins are all your hunting targets, and the so-called 'war' has been planned and directly carefully by you, right?"
"Basically, yes," Liao Fei said. "However, the players of 'Slaughter Game' are not the only ones active here. Dozens of other interactive games and live shows—including 'War Game', 'Glorious Apostles', 'Invincible Blades'—are aired here too all year round. All of them involve killing!"
"I don't understand." Frowning, Li Yao asked, "Does such meaningless killing do you any good? I don't think that you can keep in touch with the sky all the time, and the odds of your death can be quite high, right?"
"Of course, there are benefits," Liao Fei explained in delight. "Up until two hundred years ago, the place was a simple test field for weapons. Then, a genius thought that it was too much of a waste to just regard the natives here as targets to be tested on, and he came up with the ideas of interactive games and live streaming. After a hundred years of exponential development, this place is now a renowned center of entertainment in the Imperium that fulfills the afterwork life of countless citizens in the Imperium. A lot of betting companies with deep backgrounds have participated, too. The revenue generated here every day is astronomical!
"Take me for example. If I take part in 'Slaughter Moment', there will be a high payment immediately. If I earn a high rank among the hundred and twenty participants, there will be a bonus. However, they are not worth mentioning at all compared to the tips from the audience.
"Like I said just now, more than three hundred billion viewers in the entire Imperium appreciate our show at any moment. As long as I kill in the way they like or leave their names on the dead bodies, they will definitely not hesitate to tip me. Three hundred billion. Three hundred billion viewers!
"I am just an unattractive, mediocre warrior. Most of the tips will be claimed by the platform of Slaughter Moment, and I have to pay more than ninety percent as a special acting tax. Still, the remaining money is enough for me to live a luxurious life and perform the training of the highest intensity!
"Otherwise, as a nobody without any significant familial background and support, how could I have earned enough resources to advance into the Core Formation Stage if not through streaming killing?"
"In other words," Li Yao said gravely, "other people pay you to watch you kill? What an unbelievable society!"
"Not as unbelievable as it sounds," Liao Fei said. "You might not know this, but the Imperium of True Human Beings classifies all the subjects into two classes, namely true human beings and hominoids. True human beings are Immortal Cultivators with massive strength like me. Naturally, they barely watch the live streams because they can kill on their own if they want to have fun. There is no need for them to enjoy it indirectly.
"But hominoids are different.
"Hominoids are the weak, lazy, and sordid existences at the bottom level of the Imperium, bordering on ignorant and disobedient animals.
"If the animality inside their body is repressed for too long without being vented, they may cause great trouble.
"His Majesty is very merciful and does not want the hominoids to attack one another, which will greatly lower the work efficiency and disrupt the social order. The 'killing streams' solve the problem perfectly. If all the hominoids waste their superfluous vigor by watching the killing streams, they will certainly behave and work dutifully, and society will be harmonious and stable.
"Almost all the hominoids are fond of watching the live streams of killing and are willing to tip with a great amount of money. Some even steal or rob other people just to give us gifts. I do not know what is on the mind of the hominoids, but it doesn't matter. Money is money. Although the tips from every single hominoid are a drop in the bucket, the total turnover can be very high. This is the biggest reason I'm willing to take part in the kill challenge in Slaughter Moment!"
"Got it," Li Yao said. "In other words, such games have become an enormous industry in the Imperium of True Human Beings."
"Exactly," Liao Fei said. "It is an enormous industry that can affect the entire Imperium of True Human Beings. It is also a thriving, promising one. The royal family, the nobles, and almost all the big shots are investing heavily in it. Compared to them, I am just a shrimp and a most insignificant gear in the giant machine!"
Chapter 2004: Paradise of Sins |
Li Yao was silent for a while before he continued with a low, solemn, and inhuman voice. "Other than the 'kill streamers' like you, some more Immortal Cultivators seem to have landed here who call themselves 'players', right?"
Liao Fei was slightly dazed. He nodded and said, "Yes. A lot of people arrive in the paradise of sins every day. Usually, everybody is scattered across the planet. This time, word is that 'Fist King' Lei Zonglie, a local expert of the Land of Sins who distinguished himself recently, is going to attack Liberty City, an Elysian World. That's why the players everywhere have gathered to enjoy the great game."
"The paradise of sins?" Li Yao chewed on the name slowly. "For the locals born and raised here, this is a desolate land with natural-born sin, but for the 'players' like you, it is naturally a paradise. Then, besides the 'killing streamers' such as you, who else is out there?"
"Some are here for trials and competitions." Liao Fei was referring to the players such as the Red Viper Squad. "The Imperium of True Human Beings worships competition. Advancing from academies of lower levels to those of higher levels for further studies, competing to be the heir of a major family, or to be admitted by great sects and corporations when you are a nobody, all those things require a decent result in trials.
"The Land of Sins is the perfect trial field. There are all kinds of monsters and brutal men, and one will encounter the least expected situations. This is the best place to test the comprehensive qualities and intuitional reactions of a trial-taker. Also, it is relatively secluded and controllable, which makes it easier to draft quests of different difficulties.
"Therefore, a lot of famous academies, families, and sects in the Imperium have been holding the trial missions and the advancement tests in the Land of Sins. Those examinations have a high credibility.
"For the rookies who have just left school, passing the tests in the Land of Sins will certainly be a highlight on their resume.
"Other than the 'killing streamers' and 'trial takers', there are also tourists…"
"Wait." Li Yao frowned. "Tourists? Somebody actually comes here for sightseeing?"
"Of course." Liao Fei smiled bitterly. "Life in the Imperium of True Human Beings is very difficult. Even the Immortal Cultivators are often faced with immense pressure. Not only do they have to carry out all kinds of dangerous tasks, but they also have to deal with the internal conflicts and conspiracies among themselves.
While the high-level Immortal Cultivators above the Building Foundation Stage can live an extravagant life, those in the Refinement Stage and the Building Foundation Stage, especially when they are not sponsored by noble families and ancient sects, may find their life dull and boring.
"Those people from underprivileged families are at the bottom level of the Immortal Cultivators in the first place. Most of them do not have their fiefs and slaves to demonstrate their authority to. The majority of hominoids are not slaves, at least not in the legal sense. Even if they are slaves, they cannot be played with or butchered by the low-level Immortal Cultivators when they belong to an expert.
"Therefore, after the low-level Immortal Cultivators gain a sum of money and feel stressed out, they will often come for a vacation in the Land of Sins. After all, the people here are slaves of the slaves, nothing more than ants. With enough money, they can do whatever they want here.
"In fact, how many sinners in the Land of Sins are qualified to enjoy the so-called Elysian Worlds? Most of the extravagant entertainment is for the tourists.
"Naturally, if the tourists do not like sensual pleasure, they can also go on a killing spree in the Bloody Worlds. In the carefully-devised mission scenario, under the support of the most advanced magical equipment, even sinners multiple levels higher than them will be butchered and blown up by them easily like pigs and dogs, giving them the ultimate ecstasy of beating enemies far stronger than them!"
Li Yao narrowed his eyes and said, "That explains a lot. The so-called 'Bloody Worlds' are actually not plagued by the fights of the sinners in most cases but the blatant massacres of the tourists."
"Yes," Liao Fei said matter-of-factly. "Those tourists pay a fortune to come to the paradise. Naturally, they will not be satisfied just by playing some three-legged whores in the 'Elysian Worlds'. Those Immortal Cultivators in the Refinement Stage and the Building Foundation Stage experience too much chastisement and exploitation from the high-level Cultivators. They will not be gratified until they have vented all their anger."
"Are there any other Immortal Cultivators? How many in total?" Li Yao asked.
"Other than the killing streamers, the trial takers, and the simple players, there should also be magical equipment testers as well as the staff and guards who are responsible for the functionality of the entire paradise," Liao Fei said. "As for their total number… I'm not very certain about that. Planetwide, there should be around a hundred thousand."
"This is not a planet with a huge population," Li Yao said. "Reproduction is quite difficult in such a harsh environment. If a hundred thousand Immortal Cultivators are acting flagrantly here, there can never be enough sinners for you to kill, can there? Also, have you never been spotted by the locals?"
Liao Fei rolled his eyes and said, "The sinners locally born and raised are certainly far from enough to make up for the dead. Therefore, a lot of hominoid slaves and Immortal Cultivators who have committed felonies are shipped here from the other Sectors of the Imperium every year. After their memories are sealed, they are tossed down to make up the numbers. The Imperium has a large territory and population. This is not a problem.
"As for whether or not we have ever been spotted by the locals, of course we have. But what can they do even if they have? Nothing grows in the Land of Sins. Most of the resources have to be projected from the Heavenly Rails. As long as the transmission is cut off, even the most unparalleled experts have to grovel and cooperate with us obediently to erase other informants. Otherwise, they will only be erased altogether!"
"What is Manjusaka exactly?" Li Yao asked. "Is it true that the sinners here can get rid of their identity and become 'angels', or Immortal Cultivators?
"It is a restricted area. We are not allowed to approach," Liao Fei said. "I'm told that it is a heavily-guarded prison and laboratory, in which the most dangerous men and beasts are locked. They are probably the best champions who have distinguished themselves in the cruel competitions in the Land of Sins.
"As for whether any of them can become an Immortal Cultivator, I have never seen any of such cases before."
"Therefore," Li Yao asked, "even if somebody helps 'Fist King' Lei Zonglie conquer Liberty City and is delivered to the City in the Sky, they will not become an Immortal Cultivator?"
"Of course not!" Liao Fei grinned hideously. "Master of the Elysian World? They are just dogs that we have tamed. If they listen to us obediently, we can give them a couple of bones, but how can they be equal to us?"
After pondering for a moment, Li Yao asked, "Right now, who is the highest controller of this 'paradise of sins'?"
"That will be Wuying Lan, the helmsman of the 'Heavenly Eye Group'," Liao Fei answered.
"Wuying Lan? Is he from your royal family? Tell me all the intelligence you know about him."
Liao Fei nodded and said, "Wuying Lan is indeed from the royal family, but he is not from the main bloodline. When it comes to his generation, the influence of his branch is too weak for him to compete for the supreme power. So, he has been 'exiled' to the Devilish Scorpion Galaxy to oversee the weapon test field and the magical equipment laboratory.
"It was supposed to be a redundant job, because the weapon test field and the magical equipment laboratory had been used for hundreds of years with all their value exploited. Also, the test field and the laboratory had their own supervisors, and there was barely any part he could meddle with. This job basically had no requirements or duties and was specifically designed to relocate the branches of the royal family. Whoever was exiled to the Devilish Scorpion Galaxy would essentially be gone from everyone's sight forever!
"However, Wuying Lan was an ambitious and imaginative man. He was the one to come up with all the ideas to exploit the value of the Land of Sins.
"All in all, the planet was only revived because of Wuying Lan's delicate operation. It has been developing at a high speed in the last hundred years under the support of many big shots. It is now one of the most important test bases for new magical equipment and techniques in the Imperium.
"Wuying Lan's 'Heavenly Eye Group' also rose miraculously through the live streams. Now, it controls more than half of the betting businesses and media industry in the Imperium, transforming him from an unappreciated member of the royal family to one of the most influential people in the Imperium!"
Li Yao's eyes were glittering. "So, Wuying Lan can be called the mastermind behind the 'paradise of sins' and the 'chief director' of the gory battle right now?"
"Yes!" Liao Fei nodded heavily.
"One last question. Have you ever heard of 'Starlight' and a Cultivator that has been lost for a thousand years?"
Liao Fei laughed. "Of course I have. It was only a legend in the Devilish Scorpion Galaxy at the beginning, but it is showing the sign of spreading throughout the entire Imperium now. Perhaps some guys with ill intentions have been disseminating it for clandestine purposes. Cultivators? They are a bunch of idiots who got themselves extinct more than a thousand years ago. What trouble can they possibly cause?"
"Got it now," Li Yao said, while the bloody ocean began to bubble. "Thank you for your honest answers. There are some more questions that I would like to ask you, but due to the time limit, I think we will stop here."
The bloody bubbles exploded one after another, releasing vague killing intent.
The smile on Liao Fei's face gradually froze. With surprise and fear beaming out of his eyes, he stammered, "Wait. You promised that you wouldn't kill me! There's no reason for you to kill me! Whether you are an alien species or an expert among the sinners, you shouldn't kill me! Without my help, you'll never get away. You cannot escape from the Land of Sins. You cannot escape Wuying Lan's dragnet! Just calm down and think about it!"
"Maybe." The devil standing at the center of the bloody ocean put on a hideous smile and said casually, "However, who told you that I am going to run?"
Chapter 2005: Recall Points |
While Liao Fei was overwhelmed by devastation, enormou
s bloody bubbles popped up from the ocean and moved toward him, swallowing him one bite after another.
He struggled hard in the middle of the bloody bubbles, but he could not get rid of the skinny hands and the tentacles at all. Very soon, he was dragged into the depths of the blood ocean, and his screams turned into bubbling sounds before his soul was completely melted.
"What a 'paradise'!" The mental devil grinned hideously. "It is indeed not a simple base to test new magical equipment and techniques. There are actually so many tricks behind it. This Wuying Lan is really a genius!"
"Indeed. Even my curiosity has been aroused. I want to meet this 'Wuying Lan' and explore the deepest secrets of the Imperium through him," Li Yao said. "Also, I'm going to destroy the 'paradise' by the way!"
"According to Liao Fei, Manjusaka is a highly-dangerous prison and laboratory, which confirms our past speculation," the mental devil said. "I predict that the strongest experts from the Land of Sins must be caged inside as 'perfect test subjects' screened naturally from the wilderness. When the mysteries of their body and soul are studied carefully, a lot of precious information and data will be found."
After pondering for a moment, Li Yao said, "In that case, there must be 'high-molecular layer-by-layer scanning magical equipment' up there. Also, those highly-dangerous 'perfect test subjects' can't be too happy about their fate. If we can find a way to sabotage the City in the Sky and set all of them free…"
The mental devil smiled. "Have you found a way to go to Manjusaka?"
"It is certainly not an option to fly directly into the place on our own," Li Yao said. "The Immortal Cultivators have deployed barriers of the highest level on the entire sky. Manjusaka is definitely the most focused upon. It is impossible for us to compete with the super array that covers the entire planet. Even if we can break in by force, should the Immortal Cultivators notice our existence and strengthen their defense, it will be difficult for us to do anything after.